Tuesday 21 April, 10.00, committee
room 6, Palace of Westminster
The EFRA Committee will examine how equitable trading
relationships can be ensured between food retailers and
suppliers, and how the economic impacts of the Iran
conflict could affect the UK food and farming
industries.
The session will begin with the cross-party Committee
scrutinising the work of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and
Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA).
The role of the GCA is to receive complaints and prohibit harmful
conducts set out in the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.
These include retrospective variation of supply agreements,
delays in payments, and ceasing or significantly reducing
the volume of purchases without a genuine reason or
sufficient notice. The ASCA performs similar functions
by enforcing fair treatment within the agricultural supply
chain.
There may be questions relating to recent cases involving Aldi
and Amazon, and both Adjudicators' ability to take on major,
well-resourced companies. The Committee is also likely
to ask how both bodies can use their remits to protect
small businesses from unfair
treatment amid inflationary pressures linked to the war
in Iran.
In the second half of the session, MPs will examine how the
conflict involving Iran is affecting supply chains, with
particular focus on impacts on the agricultural sector and access
to food and drink. Members will explore issues around the supply
and cost of fertilisers, as well as the knock‑on effects of
higher fuel prices. The Committee will also be
interested to understand the outlook for potential food inflation
and supply problems as the year progresses.
Witnesses from 10.00:
- Mark White, Groceries Code Adjudicator
- Richard Thompson, Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator
From 11.00:
- Rohit Kaushish, Chief Economist, Agriculture and
Horticulture Development Board
- Andrew Opie, Head of Food and Drink, British Retail
Consortium
- Jo Gilbertson, Head of Fertiliser, AIC (Agricultural
industries confederation)
